1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a knitting tool arrangement with a tool holder having several parallel grooves and several knitting tools. Each of the knitting tools has a holding area that is arranged in one of the grooves and a working end.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a knitting tool with two side flanks, a holding area and a working end.
2. Discussion of Background Information
The invention is described below based on a knitting needle, in particular a slide needle, as an example of a knitting tool. However, it can also be used in a corresponding manner with other knitting tools that are involved in a loop-forming process in a knitting machine.
The knitting needles are inserted in grooves of a bar. Webs are provided between the grooves to provide a predetermined spacing between adjacent knitting needles and to support the knitting needles laterally.
The knitting needles are often held in the bar by covers or other holding elements.
With a loop formation, i.e., during operation of the knitting machine, certain stresses act on the knitting needles, in particular lateral thread tensions. The knitting needles must therefore be stable enough to withstand these tensions without deforming beyond a certain extent.
The finer the knitted article is to be, the more closely adjacent the knitting needles must be. The number of knitting needles per inch (25.4 mm) is also referred to as “gauge.” Up to a gauge of E36, i.e., 36 needles per inch, conventional techniques are sufficient for embodying or forming the knitting needles and the tool holder, i.e., the bar, in a manner stable enough for the needles to be able to withstand the forces occurring during loop formation.
However, if the gauge is higher, the number of knitting needles also increases, such that the width or thickness of the webs between the grooves must be reduced so much that these webs can no longer guarantee sufficient lateral support force. Under unfavorable circumstances the webs are so weak that they break when lateral drafting forces act on the needles. Another disadvantage is that the webs can be damaged during straightening of the knitting needles, since as a rule a lateral pressure is exerted on the webs during straightening. There is also the risk that the weak groove webs will be damaged during a replacement of a damaged knitting needle.
If the thickness of the knitting needles were simply reduced, this would lead to the disadvantage of the knitting needle losing its lateral stability. The laterally acting thread tension would draw the knitting needle with its knitting head laterally out of its position, thereby risking collision with the guide needles. Furthermore, it is foreseeable that a knitted article with reduced quality may be produced with a knitting needle being deformed in an uncontrolled manner.